I really enjoyed Sharon Ashwood's Ravenous - from the initial scene where heroine Holly Carver is trying to rescue some people from a haunted house, to the gradual worldbuilding as we learn about supernatural creatures and their own form of hell, to Holly's awakening to her possible role in a centuries-old battle, to her romance with a man who really won't be good for her long-term... we follow the actions of Holly and her business partner, Alessandro Caravelli, a six-centuries-old vampire. Holly's magic was subdued by a spell that went wrong when she was young, and she makes her living doing minor witchy jobs to pay for her tuition at a business college.
She finds herself dragged into rather bigger issues when a demon uses her own home to try to step through into this world.
Caravelli is a fascinating character, a man of integrity and goodness who also knows and fears his nature as predator. He knows there isn't any future for him with Holly, but wants to help her and keep her safe. With several other men floating in and out of Holly's life, she doesn't always know who to trust, and those she loves the most may cause her harm.
If Holly and Caravelli can discover who is trying to control the demon so they
can stop the influx of evil into our world, they may find a whole new situation where they can rescue supernaturals condemned to an eternal punishment.
Ashwood's writing style is excellent with a good plot unveiled at a comfortable pace. I always followed the story, not getting lost in complexities that one can find in this kind of book. Holly and Alessandro are great lead characters, although Holly is slightly less fully fleshed out in terms of her motivations and feelings. Ashwood wraps the threads of the story well, although a few minor plot events will presumably follow in the next story. Ravenous is always an enjoyable read with an appealing hero and a good take on the supernatural/paranormal world.